amined the stranger as narrowly as we could,
and O'Carroll was thoroughly convinced that he was right in his
suspicions. While thus employed a man appeared at the companion watch.

"Why, there is La Roche himself!" he cried out. Scarcely had he spoken
than a bullet whizzed by his head. "That settles the matter," he said,
quite coolly. "Let us be out of this, or he will be following up this
compliment." We hurried out of the dockyard. I proposed making a
complaint to the authorities.

"And be detained here several weeks and gain nothing in the end," he
answered, shaking his head. "My advice is, get ready for sea as fast as
you can, and if you wish to serve Captain Brown see him safe out of
sight of land before the _Mignonne_ can follow. We'll keep a watch on
him in the meantime, or he'll play us some trick or other. Above all
things, don't be on shore after dark. La Roche has plenty of friends
here, depend on that, and he will find means to pick us off if he thinks
that we are likely to inconvenience him."

Following O'Carroll's suggestions I immediately returned on board.
Captain Hassall at first scarcely credited the account we gave him--
indeed, he did not, I saw, put thorough confidence in O'Carroll.
However, he agreed that we ought to warn Captain Brown, and that it
would be well for us also to sail before the supposed privateer was
ready for sea.

CHAPTER FOUR.

THE "BARBARA" ON FIRE.

We had got our decks caulked, our rigging set up, and other repairs
finished, when, one forenoon, O'Carroll, who had at length ventured on
shore, returned in a great hurry with the information that there was
much bustle on board the _Mignonne_, and that her people were evidently
hurrying to the utmost to get ready for sea. Had Captain Hassall
followed his own inclinations, he would have given the piratical
Frenchman the opportunity of trying his strength with the _Barbara_; but
as that would have been decidedly objected to by Garrard, Janrin and
Company, we, with the whaler and her prize, and another English vessel,
cleared out as secretly as we could, and, with a fair breeze, put to
sea. We had to lay to for the other vessels, and after they had joined
us Captain Brown hailed us, to say that the look-out from his
main-topgallant mast-head had seen a large ship coming out of the
harbour under all sail, and that he thought it possible she might be the
_Mignonne_. As, however, a mist had soon afterwards arisen,